School bus times changed without warning

[MockneyReject]

For 2 years, the school bus has arrived at 08:00.
I see DS on, and then rush to work, for 08:15ish. I'm meant to start at 08:00, so spend the morning catching up (home care visits).

As of 2 weeks ago, the regular company have stopped trading. So, the Local Authority have issued a temporary contract. The new providers have been late, every day, both morning and afternoon. Parents received a text, usually once the bus was half an hour late. So, middle school children (9-13) are waiting around for between 30 and 60 minutes.
They used to arrive home at around 3:50. Lately, it has been 4:30 ish. Again, no communication.

Today, parents have received an update, in response to all the complaints. From now until possibly the end of this school year, the bus will pick up at 9ish and collect the children from school at 4.
So, they will arrive 45 minutes late for the school day, and will return home 45 minutes to an hour late.
Apparently, the new firm is struggling, due to broken down buses and lack of drivers. The buses that are turning up are quite random - old with no seatbelts.

I phoned the LA today, explaining that I am unwilling to leave my child home alone, every morning, to get himself to school.
More importantly, he won't be home before I leave for my evening shift, so will have to let himself in, cook his own dinner and put himself to bed, 2-3 times a week. I get home at about 8:30.
Usually, he comes with me, and has dinner with a friend, close to my work, if I'm doing a split shift.

Their response was that I have a choice.
Either, tell my employer that I'm simply not coming in to work (I already had to phone in at the last minute, this evening, as I was frantically looking out for the bus) which cost me £35 earnings. My manager is already annoyed with me.
OR advertise on SM for a stranger to take him and collect him, as I don't know any other parents.

They refused to allow me to apply for a Personal Travel Budget, to cover taxis.

They stated that seatbelts are preferable, but not a duty.

So, tomorrow, he will have to come to work with me, instead of going to school. He will likely have to come with me all next week, and sit in the car, while I do care visits - usually 30-60 minutes each.

AIBU to think they are failing to meet their obligation?
And to be worried sick, as my options are:
Give up work and be unable to pay the rent/bills/food.
Keep DS off school, risking court/fines.

I don't think you are going to get anywhere in your individual case, the LA will consider that a NT 12 year old is perfectly capable of getting himself onto and off a school bus even if it means having to wait for it. However surely school will not be happy that a group of children (how many from this bus?) will be turning up so late every day to school between now and end of term. I think you are more likely to get somewhere if they fight back against this decision.

Can't believe this thread hadn't focused on missing 45mins of school every day. That is completely unacceptable. No way is the Head going to be happy with that - it affects their attendance data massively. What has the school said?

Or if he finishes school four miles away at 3.15 and your late shift starts at 4.30 can you pick him up yourself and drive him home?

OP, talk to them again but from the point of view of them denying your child an education. It's totally unacceptable for them to have children arrive 45 minutes every day!

Make a big fuss with anyone you can think of: Head, Governors, MP. Do it from the side of the effect on education though.

That's an option. The AM shift is 6.5 hours, as that's as long as one can legally work without a break. Travel time is sneaked on, on the payslip. So, on paper, I work from 8:15-2:45, then have 2 hours to drive home, grab breakfast (at 4ish) then be back at work for 4:45. In reality, travel between visits takes about 45 minutes. The commute takes up about 20 minutes each way, so a split shift gives me under an hour to pick up DS, eat, change uniform etc.
School is an additional 15 minutes in the opposite direction.
If I leave at 7:30, instead of 8, that would give me a bigger, 20 minute gap between shifts.

When the bus worked, my day worked - just.

I can't believe 45 minutes either! But if he's 12, NT, he's old enough to wait for the bus.

Get the school to complain to the LA about kids being late.

Pick him up between shifts and try to make time to have a good chat in the car etc.

Juggle things to the end of term but keep making a fuss so the arrangements are better next term.

I would be going down the route of complaining about him missing so much learning. He has an entitlement of so many subject hours per week. You won't be the only parent not happy about this. You need to find the others and complain en masse.

Headteacher is leaving at the end of this term, so is unlikely to get involved.
School office have acknowledged that the situation is less than ideal, but also seems to have accepted it.

It's 4 miles.drom home, but 15 miles from work.

Can't he cycle to school? He could set off when you leave. Might be a short wait once he gets there until school starts but that's not a major thing.

How many families are affected? If it’s lots then get together and make a fuss, if it’s only a few then insist they provide a taxi at a suitable time. We are in a similar situation in that our school bus service is under threat - but it’s 4 routes and hundreds of kids so we have made it s problem to everyone we can think of - school, local councillors, MP - and they are at least sitting down with us to find a solution. Go to the papers and do sad face - embarrass them into sorting it out!

Cycling on rural A roads is kindda dicing with death, at least where we live. Often hilly and bendy with drivers who think they are taking part in a grand-prix.

Can you get him a bicycle, so he can cycle to school?

Alternatively drop him off at school before work and he can sit in the library.

And pick him up from school and bring him home?

No. It's a busy A-road, during rush hour. Narrow, hilly, no pavement. 60 mph. Nowhere to overtake a cyclist/horse/tractor, safely.
Accident hot spots all along the route.
It's why the bus is provided, even for those less than the 3 miles - because that road is so dangerous.

The main thing to focus on is that he will be late for school, every single day.

Don't even mention your personal circumstances.

Just focus on the fact he needs to be at school on time

School isn't open at that time of the day. I phoned them, earlier. No-one is on the premises until 8.There's no access to students, until 8:20.

I was about to say the same! Until this post, people were ignoring that he's missing nearly four hours of lessons a week!!!
How can this be remotely acceptable to the LA?

OP can't be making permanent changes to her own employment over something that surely can't continue? The school will surely be insisting that this contract cannot continue. In the interests of the child and their own results, they will not let this stand, surely?

Can you contact the school and ask them to contact the LA and support you in challenging this?

Could he not get a service bus in each direction or to the friends he normally sees whilst you work? To be honest I'm shocked a 12 year old would go out with you everyday. Have you asked him what he wants to do?

Another one here who is shocked that the OP and other posters seem to be so accepting of this.

OP your job doesn't need to change to accommodate this, and i'm surprised you're not challenging the decision. It doesn't matter if the head teacher is leaving, there still needs to be a soultion that means your son and the other pupils aren't missing several hours a week of their education.

Hmm I find that hard to believe (as in what the school has told you, not you). If school starts at 9, being in at 7.30 is very normal for many teachers. Most buildings have caretakers and are physically open from 5 or 6am. School might not normally be open to students but they should make an exception if that gets round the bus issue.

How can they possibly allow your child to miss 4 hours of school each week due to something completely out of your control, but then be in a position to fine you, if your child doesn't attend? What a ridiculous situation! I'd be straight on the email to your MP, if I were you. Tell them you're a working single Mum, fighting to keep your head above water due to the cost of living, pay your bills, and feed yourself and your child, and yet rather than sort their own act out, the LA expect you to quit your job and risk the roof over your heads, to enable your child to be at school on time. This is SO wrong!

Services buses are 2 hourly.
He would have to get a bus from his school village to the nearest town, then another to the town where I work/friend lives. This would take approximately 2.5 hours.
Rural buses are famously few and far between. And unreliable. The last bus out of here is at 4:45!

You're shocked that a 12 year old would go out with me every day? What do you mean?

It's staggering that this is the arrangement the LA have made in this situation.

Talk about double standards.

Is it just for the rest of this term? So another 5 weeks or so?

In which case its highly unlikely anyone is prepared to push themselves to make better alternative arrangements.

I'd be tempted to submit complaints to the LA, the school and the school governors to try to ensure they make a much better effort to sort it by the start of the next school year.

He’s 12.

You do know that you’re raising a future husband and/or father?